Of Dark Lords and Roses
by Utruk Doomhammer
Summary: A hundred years ago, humankind left Earth, now they return, only to discover something out of a fairy tale. A girl who is not prepared to lead her people, and a fallen prince who never wanted the weight of the crown. Their meeting will forever chance the course of the world. The 100 AU with elements from ASOIAF, WOW, Dark Souls and Middle Earth. A few other fandoms involved.
1. Prologue 1

_Prologue 1: The Age of Ancients and New Life._

 _It was a long time ago…_

 _Longer than anyone remembers…_

 _But we… we haven't forgotten… how could we…?_

 _How could we forget our own story? The story of our people? Our freedom? Our KING?_

 _It all began many eras ago…_

 _In this world there was once a ruling species… the Old Ones they were called. They were born into an unforgiving and wild world, clawless, fangless, weak and always fighting among themselves, all pointed to their eventual demise at hands of Gaia and the wild beasts that prowled the land, sea and skies. And yet they managed to tame it and thrive, they mastered beasts, seeds and sickness, built tall skyscrapers that were proof and temples to their knowledge, ingenuity and will to survive._

 _But they had a hunger in their hearts, a hunger the more is fed, the more it grows. Hunger for_ more. _Mother Nature saw them struggle, grow, prosper, and eventually turn their backs on her as they defiled her to no end, and turned creatures that came to this world as brothers into pets, food, game, or worse. And like any mother, as she knows to love like no one else, so she punishes, and punish she did. In the peak of their civilization, Nature came to settle the debt that they threw upon themselves, and they felt the full of her wrath like never before in their history._

 _Storms, hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, and countless other disasters on a scale that could only be described as cataclysmic laid waste upon their civilization and everything they had built, decimating their numbers, erasing their history and all proof of their pass through this world. They realized too late, they were well beyond the point of no return. So, they did the only thing they could; they fled. With giant ships meant for the conquest of space, they took as many of their own as they could, and left to find another world to inhabit, for they were no longer welcome in this one. As you would expect, only those who could afford it were able to escape in these arks, those who couldn't were left to their luck to endure the still-raging cataclysm._

 _Some of them tried surviving by moving to a land that was harsh and wild, but relatively untouched by the cataclysm. As time passed, they evolved to become strong, fierce and savage, their sense of smell and hear becoming sharp in order to hunt and tame the mighty beasts that eventually inhabited that land with the passing millennium, such as graugs, ghuls, hellbats and caragors, with courage and honor as bases for their society, and they eventually became the race that would be known as Uruk-hai, alongside their bigger, stronger cousins, the Olog-hai._

 _Others decided to retreat beneath the mountains, and with hammers, chisels, forges and fire they built massive underground bastions to guard their people, with the passing ages they became strong, rough and sturdy from all that hard stone and metal work, but also cunning and ingenious, though their height was reduced because all the materials they had to carry and the relative lack of sunlight. They became legendary smiths in the world, and eventually they were known as Dwarves._

 _Others still sought refuge in ancient woods, praying for some sort of mercy from Mother Nature, which she graciously gave. They established a deep bond with nature, and as time passed they evolved to become wise, agile, strong and beautiful. They created their homes from massive trees and their cities flowered with culture and beauty unrivaled by the other races. Their craft was even finer than the dwarven one, though not as sturdy, and they became one of the finest warrior races ever known. As the years passed, they were known as Elves._

 _The remaining humans survived as they could, remaining the same as time went by. But not only from men came new life, for Gaia, in order to ensure the actions of the Old Ones would not be repeated, from her pure energy and the natural elements of this world, gave birth to a new race. These new creatures were titans made of power and wisdom, they had huge winged reptilian forms, mighty and fast bodies, and armor made of almost invincible scales, they were called the Everlasting Arch-Dragons. As the world was ending, they worked on purifying the corruption left by the Old Ones, they took all the poison, impurities and other malign things left in the land, sea and skies, and erased them, purified them until they returned to the natural forms they came from. After all this was done, Nature began rebuilding what she had destroyed, she brought all the pieces of land together and created one single continent, and as the chaos of the cataclysm receded, the soil, rivers and all that was in the land became fertile and full of life one again. Among the dragons there was one called Belserion, first, wisest and strongest of his kind, whom the rest of them hailed as their king._

 _It was at this time, that old, dormant powers long forgotten awakened, and the world would never be the same. In an old and deep cave, a great mass of primeval darkness was formed, and with a sudden explosion of pure magic power, yet another race was born. These beings were powerful enough to challenge the dragons, yet they were so savage and war-loving they had inner fights among themselves regularly and couldn't establish a proper society for a long time. Because of their nature, power and origins, they were known as the Aetherius Demons. They remained untamed and wild for many millennia, until one rose among them. This one demon was stronger than any other before him, and even the mightiest among the dragons feared the very mention of his name. He unified demons under the banner of a single lord,_ Himself, _and under his rule, the Demon Clan was born. Very few could stand before this demon, whose name was… END. Demon King END. Legend says his might was given to him by some dark god, but whatever the truth was, no one knows. Even though demons and dragons were far from friends, they had mutual respect for each other, an understanding and agreement of no aggression that they would honor, so long as the other did likewise. A weak peace, but peace nonetheless._

 _Lastly, in the high heavens, the last of the new lives was forming. In the past, many myths of the Old Ones spoke of gods of a thousand shapes and powers, well these gods actually existed, but as mankind slowly began forgetting them in favor of a new god, they faded into oblivion, until their essences were awakened by the huge amount of magic and power flowing freely throughout the world, and they were reborn as a race of elementals made of pure ethereal energy, and they called themselves Gods. Along with the Aetherius Demons and the Arch-Dragons, they were the dominating species of the new world, never interfering in the affairs of the mortal races._


	2. Prologue 2

_Prologue 2: The First Flame and Fall of Demons and Dragons_

 _Gods were very powerful beings, but they were also selfish, cruel, and arrogant. And thus, they could not accept another ruling race but themselves, so they despised demons and dragons alike, wishing to end their reigns were but unable to do so, knowing they were forces they couldn't face in battle. Until they found it while roaming the land, hidden deep within the earth; a source of pure, raw, primeval power; the First Flame. The God King, who shall not be named, was the first to draw power from it, by taking a Soul of Light, soon, the rest of his kind followed, taking souls of various elements that made the natural world, little by little consuming the Flame._

 _But one of them found something else. They say he was the youngest son of the God King, no bigger than a human. As the Fist flame was almost extinguished, among the last embers he found within the last soul, a special soul, a unique soul; the Dark Soul, and though it was no bigger than his own fingertip, it was by far the mightiest of them all, for this one soul also held the Secret of Dreams and Memory; the very Truth of the World._

 _And it granted him more than just power, it showed him Truth itself; all that was, is and will be, and the nameless atrocities his own father would commit in the name of their vanity and shallow glory. He confronted him about this, but the God King only demanded him to hand over his Soul, but he refused and was banished from his home and hunted by the rest of the gods. Thus, he snatched it and fled from the Heavens, falling to the earth and hiding in a deep cave, knowing that one day, one would come to reclaim it, to bring freedom to the world and to end the tyranny of the gods. But we´ve yet to reach that part, until then be patient and listen…_

 _The gods searched for him but couldn't find him, and eventually forgot about him, and proceeded to plan the fall of their enemies, but even with the power of the Flame, the gods were reluctant to directly challenge either demons or dragons, and so they chose to use cunning instead of strength. While the Demon Clan was unified under END´s rule, there were some who hated him and wished to seize the throne of demon-kind for themselves. The gods sought these treacherous demons and shared the power of the Flame with them. With these new power, a faction of demons rebelled against END and those who were loyal to him, demanding of him to step down and give up his crown as Demon King. At first END tried to solve this rebellion peacefully, but soon, ambition and madness turned demon against demon, and a full blown civil war exploded. By the time it was over, there was nothing left to salvage, for never before had demons fought in such massive scale; in their fight to see who would rule over them, they annihilated themselves, and the Demon Clan ceased to be, END alone survived, and he chose exile. The gods hunted him, thinking they could take him down as he was the last demon, but he was nowhere to be found. And he would remain that way for many years, only returning later to improve this tale._

 _As word of the fall of the Demon Clan spread fast around the continent, dragon-kind took no joy from this news but grief; an entire race had been exterminated, not by time, not because it was righteous, but because of greed and ambition, and they knew that the gods would march soon against them. There was one dragon, who unlike his brethren, was born without scales, only pale skin and a deformed shape, Seath was his name, but the rest of the dragons called him simply 'The Worm'. He envied their scales, and when he heard about the Demon Clan´s fate, he chose to betray his kind, and sought the gods to do this._

 _In exchange for a fragment of the God King´s Soul, Seath gave him the secret to fight dragons, for even though they never fought to the death, only dragon claws could pierce dragon scales. Following Seath´s plan, the God King sent emissaries to gather mortal servants. Humans, fearful and naïve, served him without question. He handed them over to Seath, who turned them into weapons to fight the dragons. He gave them small shards of his and god like power making them stronger, arming them with the power to equal dragons, the power of Dragon-slayers._

 _Seath set them loose against his kind, and these dragon-slayers fought fearlessly under the false promise that all those who killed a dragon would be awarded with a place in the high heavens alongside the gods. Thus began the Dragon War. Though dragons were greatly faster and stronger than their human counterparts, the sheer number of the enemies along with the fact that they had help from the Worm and the gods´ legions eventually overwhelmed them. In a matter of months, the mighty dragon-kind was annihilated, Belserion himself was felled by Seath. The gods and their allies celebrated their victory, only to discover_ one _dragon still remained. She was the daughter of Belserion, the Dragon Princess even stronger than her father, now turned Queen by his death. She challenged Seath in a duel for vengeance and he complied, bringing with him his entire army of dragon slayers. But as he arrived at the battlefield the confidence of his victory turned to dread. For standing along the Dragon Queen stood END, the Demon King._

 _They had met after the Demon Clan war, while END wandered the land in grieving. They became companions, then friends, and eventually lovers. When Belserion was slain, he mourned with her and promised her they would avenge them, both their races. And so, these pair of unlikely mates mounted a desperate las stand against those responsible for the murder of their people. An army of gods, dragon-slayers, and a dragon against the last demon and dragon. The mighty battle raged for several weeks, shaking earth and sky as the two sides sought each other's death. But by the time it was over, there was nothing left. Faearha, the Dragon Queen, was slain as she gave death to Seath and as many dragon-slayers as she could, her mate END was felled only after killing the rest of them, of the gods´ forces only one third remained. Legend says they died holding each other's hands, and that two stars appeared in the firmament in honor of their love._

 _With demons and dragons gone, the gods were free to do their will, as they began their tyrannical rule upon the world, and the mortal races were left to suffer the worst of it._


	3. Prologue 3

_Prologue 3: Age of the Gods and Rise of the Dark One_

 _The mortal races had grown, built their own kingdoms and prospered. Then the Demon and Dragon Wars broke loose, and the gods were left as the ruling race of the world. In mortals, they saw not living beings to watch and to care for; they saw toys and pawns to play with. And they did just that. Imposing themselves upon mortals, they turned kingdom against kingdom, race against race. Non-humans were specially hated by the gods, who used humans, their favorite pets, as tools to do their bidding, assaulting and enslaving non-humans._

 _Zealously and blindly following the commands of the gods, humans then turned on each other: brother on brother, father on son, all simply for the sake of their entertainment, because human conflict was particularly amusing to them. Gods were the cause of so much pain, so much suffering, genocide and nameless torture committed in their name, and when humans would turn to them with teary eyes and begging for their mercy, they would receive none. Gods also mated with humans, and from this union, the Children of the Gods were born. Females were maidens of all faces of nature; very pure daughters of the elements, they were called Fairies. Males were titans of huge size and strength, they were called Giants. Despite being their offspring, gods looked down upon them, considering them lesser beings like the rest of mortals._

 _There was one fairy who stood above all. She was not half human half goddess, rathe she was the daughter of a goddess and Seath the Worm, and the rest of her kind dubbed her The Fairy Princess. Powerful and fair, the rest of the goddesses hated her because of it, and as punishment, she was imprisoned on a lonely castle upon a mountain. Many would come to gaze upon her, for even the moon and stars envied her beauty, they all would look at her, and then leave her alone in her golden cage. Then a man came one day, he was a warrior from one of the many kingdoms felled by the arrogance of the gods, and he became smitten with the fair maiden. Every day he would return to her, they would talk about everything and nothing, and the fairy princess, who until his arrival was miserable and lonely, found the will to smile and live again. "Such beauty shouldn't be caged like an animal." He told her. "You should be free and wander the world as you will. Why did the gods imprison such pure soul as yours?" "I am the daughter of a dragon and a goddess, they think I'm impure, tainted, a half breed. They fear and hate me, that why I'm here." She answered._

 _Unable to bear it anymore and wanting nothing more than to have her by her side, he set forth to find a way to free her, so that they could be together. He got from a dwarven blacksmith a magic key, that would open any lock, and he returned to his Fairy. He opened the gate, and they were free to wander the world as they wished, but the gods wouldn't let them be, and so they sent creatures to get her back, and kill the knight. After a battle, he was left gravely wounded, and the fairy was taken back to her cage. "They won't allow her to live, neither will they let her die." He bitterly thought. "Enough." He said. Gods had taken his home, his life, his family, but he would not let them take her. But how, he asked himself, how could a mere human challenge them? Then he remembered, tales told by the elders in his village, tales of a Dark Spirit who had descended from the heavens, that inhabited deep and dark caves and held power beyond that of the gods. Thus, he ventured, into the heart of the world, armed with naught but his sword to defend himself and a torch to see in the dark. Very deep he delved, far into the black pitch, for what seemed like days, when he found him._

 _The god formerly mentioned, the one who stole the Dark Soul, was now reduced to a spirit trapped in stone. "Who are you?" the spirit asked, "Why have you come to me, what do you seek?" the man responded, "I wish to end the gods' tyranny, I need power to do so. I came for the power you hold." "Foolish man, you are not the first to come here looking for my power, nor will you be the last, what makes you different, why do you seek the downfall of the gods? Vengeance? Justice? Sheer ambition? Do you wish to be the hero that bring freedom to mortals?"_

 _The man gave him his most honest answer. "My homeland is no more, my family lies all buried in a crypt, I care not about honor or power, the world and anything on it can burn for all I care. But there is this woman, when I met her I thought she was beautiful, but she was also sad, I just wanted to see her smile, hear her laugh, her happiness is everything to me, more than my own life. But the gods wanted to take that form us, the little joy we shared. I care not about the world, I only wish to protect what little matters to me."_

 _And the spirit answered, "You are the one I have been expecting. Come, warrior, and embrace your destiny. Take the shard of black crystal you see and bury it in your chest. Let us die together and be reborn as one."_

 _The man watched in amazement as from the stone sprouted a black and sharp looking crystal, that seemed to have fire trapped within. He grasped it firmly in his hand, and with one swift movement he pierced his own heart. Fire erupted from it and coursed through his veins, consuming him from the inside out as he and the spirit ceased to exist as themselves. When the flames receded, he rose as something new. He and the spirit had died together and were reborn as one. A man who held the power of the dark, who could challenge the rule of the gods. A man who would be known as The Dark One._


	4. Final Prologue

_Final Prologue: The Dark Age_

 _The Dark One had the power of a god, but he knew he alone couldn't win a war against the gods, so he traveled far and wide, spreading word of his existence and his goal; a world free of the tyranny of the gods. One by one they joined his ranks, uruk and olog, elves and dwarves, the beast folk; Worgen and Tauren, all non-human races, who had had enough of being abused by them, the children of the gods who wished for a better life: giants and their sisters the fairies; dryads of the forests, sylphs of winds and sky, lamias of fire and flame, mermaids of the seas and valkyries of thunder. And lastly men who wished to be more than mere pawns for cruel gods. With this army, he marched to the castle in the mountain, freed his Fairy, and declared war upon the gods._

 _With the knowledge of the Dark Soul, he gathered the greatest craftsmen of the world, and learned from them, then in the entrails of the earth he crafted a ring, it looked like a simple gold band, but it was Tikal made of gold, galvorn, and ithildin. Within it, he poured his power, his will, his blood, and his desire to protect that which mattered to him. This treasure was a catalyzer, an artifact for him to channel the magic of the world and use it at will, thus he became the first and greatest of the magic wielders of yore._

 _He taught blacksmiths how to create blades that would hurt the gods' flesh, and the few gifted with arcane affinity how to wield the magic of the world, and so by his teachings, Valyrian blacksmiths and sorcerers were made. He chose the best warriors among his human followers and shared with them his blood, they became what would be known as Kishin, mortal men who held the power of warrior gods. What started as a small rebellion turned in no time into a full revolution led by a single man and his mate. One day, a shady individual came to them. He was faceless and covered himself with a cloak. He swore his loyalty to them and offered them great gifts. For the Fairy, he presented a scythe, the handle black as ebony and the blade was pale like moonlight. This weapon was crafted from the fang of an arc-dragon and forged by smiths both dwarven and elven, it was beautiful and sturdy, and she named it Aeglaros, The Moon Fang that cuts the Heavens. For the Dark One, he was given a mighty armor, forged in the heart of a dying star that bordered the worlds of light and shadow, wrought from durandal, dragon bone and scales, and demon hearts, and the helm was fashioned like the skull of a fearsome demon, and a sword._

 _This blade was made with Valyrian Tikal of seven different materials; Belserion's fangs, the heart of a fallen star, ithildin, galvorn, titanite from the heart of the Demon King, arcanitium and durandal, quenched in the blood of the Last Dragon and tempered in his fire. Its blade was black as midnight, in sunlight, the points where steel had been folded over itself shone like embers of sun. And in moonlight, they shone like stars, and though the blade was ever black, the edge shone like pale fire, and the guard was adorned with an Underworld Jewel, the Dark One named it Mordur-El, Wrath of the Dark Star. The shady stranger revealed himself to be the Last Dragon, the crownless prince born of END and Faearha, he offered himself as a mount for him and his Fairy to ride, so that their enemies would flee in despair at their very sight._

 _Armed with sword and shield of unyielding strength and unmatched power, the Dark One and the Fairy Princess marched leading their army against the gods. By the time they realized the threat these individuals pressed to their rule, it was too late. The legions of the Dark One crushed their own without mercy or compassion, with fairies and sorcerers on his side, they were quickly overpowered. In the end, the Dark One himself faced them in single combat, and a mighty battle was fought for the fate of the world. But the gods did not prevail, and the Dark One stood ready to end the God King's life, but there was something stopping him. For should he slay that powerful being, he would have to replace him, ascending to godhood and ruling over all. This choice was made to him; to end the gods forever, becoming one of them and take their place, or retire, knowing they would never leave the world be, always trying to reclaim it, vindictive and arrogant as they were. But his choice was already made, and the lowered his sword._

 _"_ _I would rather die as a man who has loved, than live forever as the same being I despise so." He spoke. "But they will still pay for their crimes." And so he summoned his power, and created a barrier that would seal the gods in their realm of the Heavens, now turned into their prison. With his own blood he locked the seal, and he and his army returned to the mortal plane. Knowing he couldn't stay in the continent, he gathered his followers, and after building a fleet large enough to fit them all, he sailed north, farther than anyone ever did before, until he found land. It was smaller than the continent, but large enough to house all those who followed the Dark One, he named this land Ragnaval, and set the races free to establish new kingdoms as they saw fit. But they saw in him a leader, a ruler worth fighting for, killing for, dying for. They bowed to him and hailed as their king, thus he became the Dark Lord, King of Ragnaval and Jailor of the Gods, and the Fairy gladly became his Queen. In his honor, in the beach where he first landed they built a grand castle for him and his Fairy to live which they called Stormcrown Fortress, no small number of them swore to be their servants, around the castle, the capitol city of the new kingdom was founded. In honor of the new king, they named it Shadowfall._

 _The rulers of the races eventually established kingdoms of their own, swearing to the royal couple as their liege lords. Thus began the Dark Age, and Ragnaval prospered under the rule of the Dark Lord. As the years passed, his Queen gave him three children. The youngest was a fairy with wings of crystal, she was called The Green Lady. And when she came of age, she took her mother´s place as the Fairy Queen. Their second child was a maiden greatly gifted in the arcane arts, as she reached adulthood, she founded her own city of magic; a place of wisdom and knowledge where all who wished to learn all kind of magic arts would be able to. Eventually, she came to be known as the Witch Queen of Araman, as was her city's name._

 _The eldest of their children was a boy, who was branded by the Dark Spirit's Mark. When the Dark Lord was too old, for he chose to remain a mortal man, he renounced the crown, and placed it upon his son's head. He gave him his ring, his sword and his power, and he departed with his beloved fairy to live the rest of his days in peace. Thus began the dynasty of Dark Lords, always passing the throne to the firstborn son, always to the one chosen by the Spirit trough the Mark. Thus Ragnaval prospered under the Dark Bloodline, and the people lived in peace, wisely putting their trust in their rulers. But uncertain times draw nearer. History turns into legend, legend turns into myth, and people forget that which they shouldn't. Those who fled so long ago will return, and when the time comes when the Dark Bloodline is no longer needed, and those who wait for vengeance seize their chance… Who will save us then?_


	5. Chapter 1

Well… here we go with the official first chapter please leave a review so I know where am I lacking writting skills. Thanks to everyone who has followed this story, I'll try to keep up with your expectations.

Chapter 1:

 _El Arca_

Space could be so many things; beautiful, scary, mysterious. As of late, Qrow Branwen had a couple better words to describe it: lonely and boring. That was the only thing he could think of as he was sitting on a chair, drinking while facing a glass window and gazing into outer space. Turning his head, he focused on the marks in his room's wall. His father, and his grandfather before him, had made one mark for each year spent in the space station they called home. There is no real time in space, but they needed a way to keep track of it. That was just their nature.

One hundred.

One hundred years since mankind was confined into three space-traveling vessels and forced to flee Earth. One hundred years of searching for another world to inhabit. One hundred years of failure. His mind was soon occupied with other things though. For example: How was he going to make this madness of a plan work?

'We are going to hell and that´s why you have a solution, they can't ignore you' A voice in his head reminded him. 'Yeah, sure' He thought bitterly. 'They will call me insane and dismiss me with an idea like this.' He downed another gulp of the bottle of beer he had been drinking.

'Remember why you do it. You are doing it for _them_ , for what you promised _her_.' He really couldn't argue with that.

"…Welp, what the hell. Do or die as they say." Throwing the bottle into a trash can, he stood up and walked out of his room. It was time to meet the council.

 _Thisisatransition_

"Well Qrow? What did you wanted to discuss?" Asked the stern voice of James Ironwood, a man of strong complexion, black hair greying on the sides and blue eyes, also head of the council that had in their hand the lives of ten thousand people. Qrow scanned with his eyes the rest of the members sitting across a semicircular table; his own twin sister, Raven Branwen, who like himself had black hair and red eyes, and her husband, Taiyang Xiao Long; a man of blond hair and purple eyes, Ghira and Kali Belladonna, a wolverine faunus with black hair, broad beard and yellow eyes, and a cat faunus with the same color of hair and eyes as her husband, leaders of the Faunus faction; Faunus were a species of humanoids with animal traits from a distant planet who also faced extinction, with the difference that their planet was completely destroyed. By sheer luck, or perhaps fate, these two species met while traveling through the galaxy. In exchange for resources and supplies they were allowed to join what was left on human race on their desperate quest; also, Glynda Goodwitch, a woman with pale blond hair and green eyes that seemed to be forever stuck in an accusing frown, Jacques Schnee, a man of pale complexion, white hair and cold icy blue eyes, also probably the richest councilman due to the fact the forefathers of his wife were the ones who put the money for the arks, but Qrow had another, easier word for him: _Asshole_. And many others, but only those named were the ones he needed to convince.

"Council, I know it was me who called for this meeting, so I'll keep it brief. We need to find a planet to live in and we need to do it now." There were murmurs among the members. They did not expect him to be so straight about it.

"Is that it? Tell us something we don't know. Besides, we have in our current route five possible planet to examine" Said Schnee in an arrogant tone.

"Seventy-two and counting." Qrow just dismissed him. "As you all know, our resources are decreasing with each passing day. Last week we cut down food and water rations to half. Last month we euthanized over a thousand elders who we couldn't afford to keep maintaining, and we are still nowhere close to finding a habitable planet."

"And I suppose you have a solution?" Ghira questioned him.

"As a matter of fact, I do." Qrow said. Tai and Raven kept their eyes on him, they knew he was working on something for the last few years, but they didn't know what.

"I propose we return to Earth." Stunned silence followed. The first to recover was James.

"Qrow, the reason we left in the first place was because Earth was a raging cataclysm. Are you suggesting we return to the hell we fled in the first place?"

"I know it sounds like madness but hear me out. In real time, we have been in these ships for a hundred years. However, considering the time-lapse about how long we have been running around space, I have made my calculations, and reached the conclusion that Earth should be inhabitable right now."

"And how, do tell, is that possible?" Glynda accused.

"Because in real Earth time, no less than 100,000 years have passed." Yet another stunned silence. "By now, a full terraformation cycle should have been completed, and if I'm not mistaken, the atmospheric conditions should be at least 80% similar to those needed for us to survive."

The councilmen talked among themselves for a few moments, but Qrow did not relaxed, the hardest part was yet to come.

"Do you have any actual evidence to support this hypothesis?" James asked him.

"I'm afraid not. This is all just mathematical and statistical probability."

"Then why should we consider this as an improvement from our current situation?" Raven snarked.

He took a moment to look at each of their faces before speaking. "We have been searching like this for a hundred years, without success, to the point we are getting desperate. How many of you have children?" There he knew he had touched a tender spot. "Belladonnas, you have a daughter, Jacques, you have three children, Raven, you have _two._ " He put more emphasis on that last word, to make clear his point and send his message without giving details. Raven and Tai seemed to get it loud and clear. "If we don't change strategies now, they will be the ones to deal with the worst of it, and to make even harder decisions than us." He finished.

He took a moment to breathe. His case was made. The only thing he could do now was wait for the verdict.

"…Qrow, please step outside, we need to discuss this in private." Said James, with little energy in him to argue, he did as he was told.

Once outside the council room, he walked to the other side, where there was a transparent wall of glass. From there he had perfect view of the courtyard of the ship. _El Arca_ , was its name. The youngest members of the crew had insisted on making it their area of recreation.

There, playing basketball, he could see them; Blake Belladonna, daughter of Ghira and Kali, a cat faunus like her mother, Weiss Schnee, middle daughter of Jacques, of all his three children, she and her elder sister Winter were the ones he found most tolerable, Nora Valkyrie, a girl with light blue eyes and orange hair trapped in a perpetual hyperactive disorder, Lie Ren, an Asian-descendent boy with violet eyes, and black hair with a pink streak in it, Jaune Arc, a blonde boy with blue eyes, Yang Xiao-Long, his own niece, with blond hair and purple eyes like her father, and her. A girl with dark hair with red tips, pale skin, and eyes like silver, Ruby Rose. She was a couple years younger than the rest, but hell if she wasn't a rose with thorns. At her age of 18 years old she was one tough bone after living in the ever-hardening living conditions of the arks. And Qrow held her dearest to his heart for reasons he would never tell for as long as he could.

'She will have a future, she will be ok. I will make sure of that no matter the cost.'

"Mister Branwen?" A voice snapped him out of it. He turned and saw a guard standing beside him.

"The members of the council would like a word with you." 'This is it.' He thought. As he re-entered the room, he was met by silence, and the members regarded him with various expressions.

"Qrow," James began. "after talking about this matter for some time, we have reached an agreement." His heart was hammering in his chest. In his mind he was ready for rejection, in his heart he was paying that they would accept. "We shall make a jump for the Earth." He released a breath he didn't knew he had been holding.

"We have just enough fuel for a jump that large, I hope you realize what we are risking with this plan." Said Glynda.

"Whatever happens, I accept full responsibility." He answered.

"Very well. Inform the other ships and the passengers about this and make the preparations necessary for the jump." Ordered James to his subordinates. As they hurried of to do as they were told, Qrow felt a huge weight being lifted off his chest. 'It´s done Summer, I'm fulfilling my promise to you.'

 _Thisisatransition_

 _Kingdom of Ragnaval, Stormcrown Fortress_

The king watched the sky through his window. The sun had set a couple hours ago, and the storm broke soon after. 'He really is doing it, is he not?' He turned his gaze to the cloth-wrapped object in his hand. 'I had hoped this wouldn't happen at all. Alas, fate is a cruel mistress.'

"Father!" Yelled a voice behind him. He turned to see his third child, his youngest son and heir, as he entered his study in a rush.

He was dressed in riding leather, with the hood of a cloak covering his head.

"They will be here in any moment, we must flee now." His son said in a hurry.

"What about the queen and your siblings?"

"They escaped early today along with the private council and aunt Em." He said as he came closer. "The horses are saddled, if we ride now we—" He cut him off.

"Son," He said as he put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not going with you."

"…What?" He asked not comprehending what was happening.

"It's you they really want, not me. If I stay I can buy you enough time to make your escape without problems."

His son looked at him with utter disbelief. "Father, you can't- you are the king. You of all people should flee."

The king just regarded his son affectionally, they never really interacted that much with each other, now he wished they had had more time.

"A king's duty is with his people, to be whatever they need. The people don't need me anymore, my son, my time has passed, but you are the future." He extended the object in his hand towards him. "And so, you must protect it, and yourself."

His son took the object in his hands, and noticed it had the shape of a sword. He lifted the cloth that covered it around the part of the cross guard, and his eyes widened in surprise when a deep red jewel gazed back at him.

"Father—I don't—I can't accept this."

"You can, and you must." The king said as he took of the ring in his right hand's middle finger and placed it on his son's.

"But this is—this are the king's treasures!"

"They are the treasures of the Dark Lord." He replied. He then proceeded to grab a dark metal gauntlet that was on the desk near him. "And thus, I feel no guilt no shame in giving you what's rightfully yours. Extend your hand."

His son did as he was told and extended his left arm towards his father. The king the placed the gauntlet on his son's hand and made sure it was secure and firm. Once he was done, his son retracted his hand and flexed his fingers experimentally.

"Our bloodline will carry on in you, and you must be ready to face whatever comes your way." He then placed both of his hand on his son's shoulders. "I know you doubt yourself, but there's no reason to. No matter what happens next, my son, I'm proud of you, and I know you will be a great king one day."

The prince tried his best to keep a straight face as his eyes grew glassy, then he wrapped his arms around his father in a hug, which he gladly returned under the knowledge that it was their last. When they finally broke apart, the king walked toward a chest in the corner of the room and extracted something from it. It was a sword. It was clearly ancient, but the oddest thing about it was its strange and coiled shape.

"What is that?" Asked the prince.

"Do you remember the tales about the origin of our power? About the First Flame and the Dark Spirit?" His son nodded. "Well years ago, I had an agent sent out to seek the kiln of the Flame, it was snuffed out completely when he found it, but he came back with this. I spent many nights trying to discover what is it, I found out it existed within the Flame before the dragons themselves, probably even before the Age of the Old Ones."

"I see. What do you plan to do with it?"

"I feared it would be used for malign purposes, for I am not the only one who sought the kiln, so I'll prevent that from happening. Draw the sword."

His son unwrapped the first gift he received from the king, revealing a two-handed bastard sword, as he unsheathed it, it revealed a blade black as the night.

The king held in his hands the coiled sword and began to chant. As he spoke, the sword began glowing as if it was red-hot. The sword then turned into bright embers that flew toward the black blade on his son's right hand, and the gauntlet on his left one. The force of it made the prince stagger, but he held his ground. The sword and the gauntlet shone red-hot for a few moments, when the glow receded the coiled sword was gone.

"With that, none shall use it foe evil." Said the king.

"Father, do you really trust me with this?" Asked his son as he drew back his sword.

"I trust you with that and more" Was his answer. "Now go, ride swift and with haste, my son, and remember, don't ever look back." He told him while looking at him in the eyes.

With one last hug and a longing look, his son ran away from his study and deep into the halls of the castle, headed for the stables.

'I left one last gift in the saddlebags of your horse, make good use of it.' He thought. He then walked to his chair and took a seat. After several minutes of calm, he could hear a ruckus, several voices and the sound of drawing steel nearing the door. 'If I'm to die today…' He stood up and drew the longsword that hung from his belt. 'I will die with a last glorious deed.' He took his stance and waited as they banged and banged on the door. His last thoughts before armed men broke into his study and a massacre started were of a woman with black hair and hazel eyes.


End file.
